Altered Composition Books

This is my current favorite project!!! So far I've been using the mini-books mostly but I want to get 2 larger books done ASAP as gifts. I was inspired by the composition books I saw in the Paper Crafts August/ September 2004 Magazine page 32. I want to make one of these books for my sister who teaches first grade and one for my son's 5th grade teacher.

Here are the steps I use for my mini-comp books.

I start with the mini-size Composition books. They are cheap at Wal-Mart and Target (around $1.00) but each store's version has slightly different binding... I like one binding better for some things and the other better sometimes. As I recall the Target (Mead brand) has a small black binding that you can lift if you heat it with your iron first (use a drop cloth or paper towel though because the adhesive ooozes and will stick to your iron). Then you can place your cover under the black binding for a nice CLEAN edge.

The Wal-Mart version has a stapled binding (think of a booklet versus a larger book with a flat binding for the Mead brand) and the black binding I was unable to get off using the iron. But if you use a nice flat fabric braid or ribbon or maybe Chatterbox molding (haven't tried this yet) you can cover anything that you might want to hide!!

The first book I painted and did just about anything else you can imagine- decoupage, stamping and then a thick coat of embossing powder..... Since then I have started painting (etc) a piece of cardstock and then attaching the paper with my sewing machine and glue and brads, etc- less opportunity to get paint on the PAGES!! I also use an eyelet to attach a tag to use as a book mark and as a way to give me another surface to play with!! I put little pockets inside the books for credit cards, notes or ??? These arequick and easy and fun. They make a cute little gift when it is the thought not the $$ that counts. An added bonus is that they can be a great way to use your scraps!!

I altered a bunch of composition books last year for a craft show I was in. So much fun! I made different themes. Travel journals, recipe books, teachers journal, christmas themed, wine journals. I didn't sell them all, so I had some left over to give as gifts to teachers! I loved that!

Hello there. I have been doing these as well and was thinking about having a few at a show I will be doing. They wouldn't be the primary item in the booth, just an extra. OUt of curiosity, do you mind sharing the what your pricepoint was? And how many did you sell over the course of the show? Just wondering if I should try to have 4or 5, or 10 or 12- KWIM? Thanks for the information, Julie

I think that those little books are ADDICTING too!!! You can also replace the inside pages if you want to keep the outer cover... it looks a little tricky but if you had a book you really loved it would be worth it! The first book I made for my sister I did heat embossing all over the cover, so it ought last forever if she wants it to!

I'll get some of my digital pics into the gallery and then come back and link to them from this post.

It would be a good project for the kids.... it is pretty simple!! I'll have to keep that in mind before I crank out too many- DS ought to make a few as well!! He just loves heat embossing so if I let him heat emboss he'll be THRILLED to get involved.

"before I crank out too many"...you sound like me. I get all gung ho and love the process, and sometimes forget to include my kids lol. (Sometimes I forget on purpose but that's another sad selfish story lol.) If I throw out scraps and doodads and glue, my dd would have a blast.

Working on some comp. books now, and finding them to be easy and beautiful. Just one more way to feed my paper addiction. HA! What do you all do about the charts that are sometimes printed on the inside covers? I can't find the bigger size comp. books without the charts.

I usually cover the inside covers with a white or cream cardstock, or a coordinating color to the cover. I wrap the paper from the front around to the inside cover, then cut the white piece slightly smaller than the inside cover dimensions. After I glue it in place, I run my bone folder over the edges, to pop up the edges of the paper you've folded over from the front. This creates a nice finished look, I believe, just like you see in books.